Destined Dreamer
by Karuni
Summary: Note : First posted on the With the Will Boards. Trying to escape reality, Mei recieves a box from CC Corp. As she begins her travels within 'The World', she doesn't expect what wonders and challengers await her, and her navi partner, along the way.


.hack/WtW - Destined Dreamer  
  
Episode 1 :: Jack In! Kaeri's Troubled Log-On   
  
*Note: About halfway through the story, the viewpoint switches from first-person to third-person. Sorry for any confusion*  
  
Have you ever felt like you don't have a purpose?  
  
Pretty random question, huh?  
  
But...have you ever really thought about it...  
  
I always believed that everyone has the potential to reach the stars and do whatever their heart desires...but, maybe I was wrong...  
  
I'm Mei and my summer has totally flopped. I'm getting ready for college...but I've got no job...and no social life.  
  
I'm heading to college already with doubters on my tail...my dad...well, he really thinks that I'm going to slack off and mess everything up...I mean, he practically knows that my sister will make it in college, but he just doesn't believe in me.  
  
My only free moments alone are late at night when I can write and play my GBA or when I head to the library.  
  
I can escape from the real world online. I can IM my friends, play some RPG's, even manage my own website!  
  
But, with no net access at home, my dreams of being online more, were distant, at most.  
  
Until...one day..  
  
____________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
"Mail's here!"  
  
Choruses of "Anything for me?" float through the house.  
  
"Geez, let me get in the door first!"  
  
"Let's see...bill...bill...catalog...Sere, a letter for you...hey, Mega, your gaming mag's here...cc corp mail...another bill...huh?"  
  
As Sere, Mega and Mom took their respective mail, I was left holding the small package from CC Corp.  
  
"Get logged into "The World", a sticker of the package advertized.  
  
Excited for something new to do, I ran up the stairs and headed to my room.  
  
Hopping onto my bed, I opened the package to find a visor, cd-rom, a wall adaptor and a note.  
  
The note was brief and explained that I was to be part of a "beta-tester" group for this new online game, simply called "The World". It all seemed pretty cool, so I decided to try out the CD-ROM.  
  
While waiting for my stupidly-slow computer to boot...I wondered why I had recieved such a package...while reading a Card Captor Sakura manga I had recently gotten.  
  
Maybe it was one of those promo internet things that companies frequently send out...I wasn't really sure...  
  
"Ooh..Sakura has such a Kawaii outfit on...wish I could get one of those!"  
  
While I was commenting on Sakura's attire, the familiar log-in screen had faded away...as the CD-ROM drive opened.  
  
As the CD booted up, the screen faded to black. "Welcome to the World", the screen typed as a small multimedia presentation played on screen.  
  
After a quick overview of the world, a small box popped up on-screen.  
  
Please enter in your Cd Number. '43747'   
  
That was easy.  
  
Next, the screen popped up another message.  
  
Please choose your name.  
  
I immediately typed in "Kaeri", as that was my online alias on most of the online message boards I belonged to.  
  
I was next directed to choose an online avatar, something I usually associated with message board icons. As I scrolled down through the list of avaliable avatars, I recognized a lot of familar anime series, like Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Beyblade, and other video game/anime series.  
  
I had really wanted to design my own character, but, that seemed extremely hard (like you needed to be a programmer or someone like that, to even do it) and I didn't have those skills to even try at it. I looked through the default character files until I finally decided on "Kinomoto, Sakura", known from the TV series, Card Captor Sakura, and from the manga series I had just been reading.  
  
So, now that I had a name and look, I now needed to choose an online navi that would help me battle through the dungeons of "The World".  
  
As with the online avatars, I recognized "navis" from a recent video game I had been playing, Mega Man Battle Network. As a new set of characters appeared on-screen, I again recognized these "Navis" from shows like Digimon, Pokemon, other anime series, and even some from the movies, as well!  
  
Even though I was amazed at the huge selection of navis to choose from, I was already pretty well set on my choice.  
  
Scrolling through the choices, I skipped down to "Digimon"  
  
- Season 3  
  
There it was...my navi, the speedy fox-type, Renamon. I had even chosen a nickname for her...Eclipse.  
  
After all my details were processed, I was told to wait for an email from my navi...  
  
who didn't wait very long to respond...  
  
Kaeri-chan,  
  
As you have already found out, I was chosen, by you, to be your online navi. As your partner, I can assist you in many different ways, but I'll tell you more about that in person. Yes, we will get to meet in person, and I'm also looking forward to that as well, Kaeri-chan. As for my nickname, Eclipse is good, but I'd prefer something short and sweet, right to the point.  
  
Now, how to log in...first, please click on "The World" and enter in a password. After all the info is entered and verified, you'll automatically log online.  
  
(Oh, and about your online problem, don't worry, that online adaptor and visor you were sent, will allow you to log in through that jack in your room. :)  
  
I hope that we will become a great team and I look forward to meeting you soon.  
  
Also, at this time, please attach your visor to the computer, so you will be able to log in.  
  
Oh...Btw, gomen ne about the tardiness of this mail...I'm usually much faster responding back to people.  
  
~Renamon~  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Kaeri looked at the screen, taking in what she had learned.  
  
"Renamon, my navi, just wrote me an email! How awesome is that!"  
  
Following the navi's instructions, Kaeri quickly typed in a password and clicked enter.  
  
Suddenly, Kaeri felt like she was falling, but looking around, all she could see was infinite darkness...  
  
The next thing Kaeri knew..she was floating in midair...  
  
Slowly opening her eyes, Kaeri heard a voice calling her..."Kaeri-chan? Kaeri-chan!"  
  
A yellow fox with purple gauntlets floating in front of her...  
  
"Rena...mon?"  
  
"Hai. Kaeri-chan, are you alright?"  
  
"Um...yeah, Renamon, but my head kinda feels..."  
  
"..fuzzy, right?"  
  
"Nani? ...Hai...demo, how'd you know, Renamon?"  
  
"Pretty simple, Kaeri-chan...you ended up here..."  
  
"Um, okay...so where's here?"  
  
"The hall of Beginnings..."  
  
"Oh...so, why are we here instead of at a village?"  
  
Renamon smirked slightly, amused. "You ask a lot of questions, Kaeri-chan!"  
  
Kaeri replied, softly. "Gomen, Renamon."  
  
"It's alright, Kaeri-chan. We ended up here..well..." Renamon paused...looking up at the darkness. "Look at yourself!" she stated quietly.  
  
Kaeri looked down at herself...only to find...  
  
"Nani! What happened to my clothes?"  
  
Renamon looked at Kaeri, slightly blushing at her partner's shock. "Kaeri-sama, decisions in "The World" are based on the heart and mind..." Renamon paused slightly before continuing "Indecision...can be deadly..."  
  
Shock ran through Kaeri's mind.  
  
Indecision.  
  
She'd need to remember that.  
  
Renamon continued. "You were looking at a manga before you came online, correct?"  
  
"...Hai..Hai! It was..a Card Captor Sakura manga."  
  
"You ended up here.." Renamon questioned.  
  
"Because I was thinking about what outfit I would like to wear, right, Renamon?" Kaeri finished for her navi.  
  
"Correct, Kaeri-sama..now think about that outfit and then we can head out into The World."  
  
Kaeri thought about the outfit she had seen in the manga..and soon her image began to glow as her outfit became digital...  
  
Just as soon as it had started...the glow surrounding Kaeri faded away as Renamon stood by her side.  
  
Decked out in her new outfit, a spinning blue portal appeared in the endless darkness.  
  
"Oh...Renamon." Kaeri turned to her partner.  
  
"Hai Kaeri-sama?"   
  
"Please don't call me Kaeri-sama. Kaeri or Kaeri-chan is fine. Lady Kaeri (Kaeri-sama) is just too much."  
  
Renamon looked at her partner, slightly surprised, but noticed the determination in her eyes.  
  
"Okay...Kaeri-chan."  
  
"Arigato...Renamon-chan."  
  
Turning to Renamon, "Let's enter the world, Renamon!"  
  
"Agreed. Let the adventure begin."  
  
As they walked through the portal together, both Kaeri and Renamon realized that their journey was beginning. Now that both Navi and Player were together, nothing would stop them on their journey through "The World".  
  
____________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
Preview of next episode ::  
  
"Nani?", Kaeri wondered out-loud as the Sakura-user looked around. "We're not in...a village?"  
  
"A wand and book?" Kaeri asked in disbelief. "You mean....I don't get a gun or some powerful magic weapon?"  
  
"You need to tell her..." Renamon pouted slightly, as Kaeri examined the floating computer. "Why...can't we keep it this way?"  
  
"You mean.." Kaeri asked slowly, "I could have another navi instead of you?"  
  
.hack/WtW - Destined Dreamer  
  
Episode 2 :: Beginnings and Endings...User-Navi Split?!?  
  
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End file.
